Self-unloading vehicle

ABSTRACT

An unloading apparatus for a spreader or the like includes a caliper arm mechanism one end of which is secured to the box and the other end of which is secured to a slidable bulkboard. A hydraulic ram spreads the arms of the caliper mechanism to slide the bulkboard rearwardly. A tailgate is mounted for movement in an upward and rearward arcuate path to serve as a shield while material is being thrown from the spreader.

United States Patent Krause 1 51 Aug. 8, 1972 1 SELF-UNLOADING VEHICLE [72] Inventor: Herbert K. Krause, Route 1, Box

185 A, Blaine, Wash. 98230 22 Filed: July 15,1970 211 Appl.No.: 55,097

521 US. 01 ..214/82, 239/679 51 1m, 01. ..B60p 1/00 [58] Field 61 Search ..214/146, 82, 83.22, 83.3;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,934,226 4/1960 Dempster et al. ..214/82 2,656,062 10/1953 Thomas ..214/514 2,454,101 11/1948 Snead ..214/83.22 3,240,370 3/1966 Sadler ..214/82 x 2,789,067 4/1957 Link, Jr. ..214/82 x 2,832,488 4/1958 Kamin ..214/82 X l/l966 Clar ..2l4/83.3

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 122,075 9/1959 U.S.S.R. ..214/514 5/1961 U.S.S.R. ..214/514 Primary Exar niner-Robert J. Spar Attorney-Seed, Berry & Dowrey [57] ABSTRACT An unloading apparatus for a spreader or the like includes a caliper arm mechanism one end of which is secured to the box and the other end of which is secured to a slidable bulkboard. A hydraulic ram spreads the arms of the caliper mechanism to slide the bulkboard rearwardly. A tailgate is mounted for movement in an upward and rearward arcuate path to serve as a shield while material is being thrown from the spreader.

2 Clains, 5 Drawing Figures PATENIEDAuc 8 I972 SHEEI 2 OF 2 HERBERT K. KRAUSE INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS SELF-UNLOADING VEHICLE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention pertains to agricultural spreaders or the like.

2. Description of the Prior Art Various types of unloading apparatus for spreaders have been known heretofore. One type employs a bulkboard which is drawn rearwardly in a box by ropes or cables sliding along the floor of the box. Another type employs a bulkboard which is slid rearwardly along a box by a multi-section telescopic ram, such as shown in the patent to Kelso, US. Pat. No. 3,273,728. The former device has proven unsatisfactory since the material being moved is commonly highly corrosive in nature and tends to attack the cables. In addition the bulkboard becomes askew and binds in the box. In the latter type of device a multi-stage ram is economically unfeasible since the initial cost of installation and the cost of maintaining the ram, particularly in a corrosive environment, is prohibitive. In addition, in the multistage ram shown in the Kelso patent, for example, the

stages must be extendable for a great length causing alignment difficulties and heavy wear on the cylinders.

In prior art spreaders of the type having a beater or thrower on the rearward end, such as used for spreading manure in the agricultural field, the tailgate has heretofore been pivotally mounted between the side walls at the rearward end of the box serving primarily as a means to hold the material in the box until the spreading operation has begun.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of one feature of this invention to provide an unloading apparatus for a spreader which is inexpensive to build and maintain.

It is another object of this feature of the invention to provide an unloading apparatus which has a slidable bulkboard that is moved by a caliper arm mechanism and in which a ram is employed for spreading the arms.

It is an object of the second feature of this invention to provide a swingable tailgate which may serve also as a shield during the spreading operation.

It is another object of this feature of the invention to provide a tailgate which has a substantially planar body that is swung in an are about a pivot disposed rearwardly of the thrower.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the manure spreader ilof a portion of a FIG. 5 is a fragmentary isometric of a portion of the v tailgate illustrated in the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The trailer 10 such as a spreader or the like is provided with a frame 11 mounted on wheels 12 and having a conventional hitch connection 13 with a towing vehicle (not shown). The spreader, of course, may be self-propelled. Mountedon the frame 11 is a material holding box 14 having vertical side walls 16 and a tailgate 18. An unloading apparatus includes a bulkboard 20 slidably mounted on a material supporting surface 22 of the box 14 and a caliper mechanism 24. Although the unloading apparatus is best employed with a spreader it may also be advantageously in other areas in which material must be pushed through a box.

The bulkboard 20 includes a vertical frame 23 mounted on a pair of spaced runners 25. The runners 25 are preferably made of wood to facilitate sliding on the material supporting surface 22. The bulkboard also includes an inclined plate 26 having a material pushing surface 27. The inclination of the pushing surface serves to hold the bulkboard down against the material supporting surface due to the weight of the material, such as manure, resting thereon. The plate 26 is provided withrubber strips 29 to assure a tight sliding seal between the vertical walls 16 and the pushing surface 27.

The caliper mechanism 24 is best shown in FIG, 3 and includes a forward frame member '28 and a rearward frame member 30. The forward frame member 28 includes a pair of laterally spaced arms 32 pivotally connected at their lower ends to the frame 11. The rearward frame member 30 includes a pair of laterally spaced arms 33 pivotally mounted at their lower ends to the vertical members of the bulkboard 20. The upper ends of the arms 33 are secured to collars 34 which pivotally mount a pivot rod 36. The upper ends of the arms 32 are joined to a central collar 38 also pivotally secured to the pivot rod 36. A conventional hydraulic ram 40 has its cylinder pivotally secured to the frame 11 and has a piston rod 42 pivotally secured to a bracket 44 mounted between the upper ends of the rearward arms 33. As is readily apparent extension of the piston rod spreads the rearward and forward frame members 28 and 30 thus pushing the bulkboard 20 rearwardly in the box 14.

Since the caliper arm mechanism achieves a great amplification in the stroke of the piston rod it can be readily seen that an inexpensive, single stage hydraulic ram may be used to spread the arms of the caliper mechanism. Another important feature of the invention is that the caliper mechanism 24 is self-guiding so that guide slots or the like are not needed in the material supporting surface 22. The bulkboard, as mentioned earlier, is held against the material supporting surface as the piston rod 42 is extended due to the weight of the manure acting on the inclined pushing surface 27. The accurate, self-guiding movement of the bulkboard assures that binding will not occur during the movement of the bulkboard and allows a tight fit between the rubber strips 29 and the vertical side walls 16.

The tailgate of the invention is also best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The tailgate 18 is provided with a substantially planar body 50 having rubber strips 52 on the lateral ends thereof. The rubber strips 52 provide a tight seal between the tailgate and the vertical side walls 16 of the box 14. A pair of laterally spaced arms 54 are secured to each end of the planar body 50 and are fixed to a pivot shaft 56 at their rearward ends. The pivot shaft is rotated by a bell crank 58 which is actuated by a link 60 connected to a hydraulic ram 62. When the tailgate is in the lowered position the planar body fills the space between the vertical side walls and the material supporting surface 22. As the planar body is raised the arms 54 are raised simultaneously so that no binding occurs and the body may be swung about an arcuate path into the phantom line position shown in FIG. 3. In this position the tailgate advantageously serves as a shield to assist in guiding the material thrown from the rear of the box 14. An hydraulic motor 74 powers the cylinders 62 and 40.

The material is thrown or spread from the box 14 by a conventional thrower or beater 70 powered by a drive train 72 which is connected to the power takeoff at the towing vehicle.

In operation the bulkboard 20 is drawn to its forward most position and the box 14 filled with manure or other material to be distributed. With the tailgate in the lowermost position the vehicle may then be towed to the field where the manure is to be spread. The tailgate is then raised into its shielding position and the thrower 70 rotated as the vehicle is towed through the field. The

bulkboard may then he slid rearwardly pushing the manure into the thrower.

While the preferred form of my invention has been illustrated and described it should be understood that variations will be apparent to one skilled in the art. Accordingly it is intended that the invention not be limited to the specific form illustrated but that the claims appended hereto be given the broadest interpretation possible. I

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

- 1. A vehicle unloading apparatus for unloading sticky corrosive material such as manure comprising a frame, a box on said frame and having a generally smooth material supporting surface and vertical sidewalls, a bulkboard slidably disposed on said surface, said bulkboard having an inclined pushing surface engageable by material in the box for holding the bulkboard downward on the supporting surface, flexible seal means on said bulkboard for tightly engaging the sidewalls as the bulkboard is moved therealong, guide means for reciprocably moving said bulkboard including a forward movable rigid frame member pivotally mounted at its lower end to said box, a rearward movable rigid frame member pivotally mounted at its lower end to said bulkboard, each of said movable rigid frame members including a pair of laterally spaced arms, bracing means rigidly joining said spaced arms to rigidify the frames whereby both arms of a respective movable rigid frame move as an integral unit, and means joining said spaced arms at their upper ends to a substantially horizontal pivot shaft for allowing pivotal movement of said movable frame members but substantially restricting any lateral movement of the arms of the rearward movable frame member relative to the forward movable frame member thereby guiding the 

1. A vehicle unloading apparatus for unloading sticky corrosive material such as manure comprising a frame, a box on said frame and having a generally smooth material supporting surface and vertical sidewalls, a bulkboard slidably disposed on said surface, said bulkboard having an inclined pushing surface engageable by material in the box for holding the bulkboard downward on the supporting surface, flexible seal means on said bulkboard for tightly engaging the sidewalls as the bulkboard is moved therealong, guide means for reciprocably moving said bulkboard including a forward movable rigid frame member pivotally mounted at its lower end to said box, a rearward movable rigid frame member pivotally mounted at its lower end to said bulkboard, each of said movable rigid frame members including a pair of laterally spaced arms, bracing means rigidly joining said spaced arms to rigidify the frames whereby both arms of a respective movable rigid frame move as an integral unit, and means joining said spaced arms at their upper ends to a substantially horizontal pivot shaft for allowing pivotal movement of said movable frame members but substantially restricting any lateral movement of the arms of the rearward movable frame member relative to the forward movable frame member thereby guiding the bulkboard in a straight movable frame member thereby guiding the bulkboard in a straight path in said box whereby the guided movement of the bulkboard is obtained substantially solely by said guide means, and hydraulic ram means for spreading said movable frame members for moving the bulkboard rearwardly in said box.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, said sidewall engaging means including rubber strips secured to the laterally spaced ends of said pushing surface. 